Method and system for online prediction-based entertainment

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment of the invention, a method for online entertainment comprises the initial steps of providing a user identification system that enables a user to have access to an online community of contestants, and of offering an interactive selection of actual entertainment events to the user. Such a selection of actual entertainment events may be a string of occurrences, for instance, a football season with a certain number of games, or one or more occurrences within a string of occurrences, for instance, a group of games within the football season, or an isolated occurrence, for instance, a football game. The string of occurrences, such as the above mentioned football season or games, may have not yet begun or be already in progress. In other embodiments of the invention, a system and a computer program product are provided that provide online entertainment according to the above described method.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED REASEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A COMPUTER LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed at a method and a system for onlineentertainment. More particularly, the present invention is directed at amethod and a system that enable a user to prove his knowledge of popularevents in comparison with other members within the same onlinecommunity, or in comparison with a limited number of members within thesame online community.

2. Description of Related Art

There is a strong public appetite for receiving information andproviding prognostications on sport events and, more generally, onsituations that involve celebrities, such as music, movie, and politicalevents. To meet this appetite, an online industry has emerged that hasattracted different segments of the public to web sites that providevarious types of information or betting opportunities on sport orcelebrity events. Certain web sites may also provide “fantasy games,”where, if a sport tournament is involved, a user may create or choose ateam composed of players from different actual teams and predict theperformance of that team on the basis of the performance of thoseplayers in the teams and matches where they actually play.

It is estimated that online sports betting websites have grown from 25in 1997 to 1,800 in 2005, producing $3.7 billions in revenues in 2005.While internet gambling is illegal in the United States, online gamblingproviders may make their services available worldwide by operating fromfriendlier countries, for instance, certain South American countries.Such a ready availability of online gambling has not only providedaccess to an illegal service in the United States, but has also caused aproliferation of internet gambling addition cases, which are estimatedto have increased 25% during the 2004-2005 period.

The U.S. legislator and various U.S. financial institutions have beguntaking steps against this illegal, addictive practice by introducinglegislation that would prohibit financial institutions from transferringfunds to gambling internet sites and by auditing certain types of creditcard transactions. The problem, however, seems to reside in the unabatedpublic interest in betting, and, in general, in every variety ofpredictive contests related to sports, pop culture, politics, and otherentertainment events.

The same high level of interest in predicting the outcomes of sports andother entertainment events extends to fantasy sport games. It isestimated that seven million Americans visited the top three fantasysport sites during 2005 and that each visitor accessed more than 200pages of fantasy sport content every month, a cumulative amount that isnearly double the amount of general sport pages accessed during the sameperiod. Although a number of fantasy sport sites offer prizes such atelevision sets to winners of certain contests, the rewards offered makethese sites different from betting sites both in the nature of theprizes offered, in seemingly avoiding gambling addictions, and also inbeing free of the regulatory constraints imposed on bettingorganizations.

Both the betting and the fantasy games web sites are presently offeringa selection of entertainment events to choose from, for example, sporttournaments like the National Football League, National BasketballAssociation, or PGA Golf, to mention just a few. Entertainment eventsbased on pop culture, politics, and other relevant topics are also beingoffered. None of these web sites, however, offer a user the opportunityto test his predictive abilities for actual contests, rather than forfantasy contests, without engaging in a betting scheme. In particular,none of these web sites offer a user the opportunity to test hispredictive abilities on team- and player-based questions, beyond thename of the winner of a certain contest.

Therefore, there is a need for an online entertainment system thatenables a user to test his predictive abilities about actual sport, popculture, political, or other popular events rather than about fantasyevents.

There is a further need for an online entertainment system that enablesa user to test his predictive abilities about actual sport, pop culture,political, or other popular events without engaging in a betting scheme.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed at an online entertainment method andsystem that enables a user to test his predictive abilities about actualsport, pop culture, political, or other popular events in relation toother users within an online community, or against a limited number ofusers within the same online community.

In a first embodiment of the invention, a method for onlineentertainment is provided that comprises the initial steps of generatinga user identification system that enables access to an online communityof contestants, and then of providing the user with an interactiveselection of actual entertainment events. Such a selection of actualentertainment events may be a string of occurrences, for instance, afootball season composed of a certain number of games, or one or moreoccurrences within a string of occurrences, for instance, a group ofgames within the football season, or an isolated occurrence, forinstance, an individual football game or certain portions or aspects ofa specific football game. The string of occurrences, such as the abovementioned football season or games, may have not yet begun or be alreadyin progress.

In subsequent steps of the method according to the first embodiment, theuser may select one or more of the actual entertainment events, forinstance, a football season or a football game, and make predictions onone or more features of the entertainment events, for instance, thefinal score of a football game or number of passes made by aquarterback. In making such predictions, the user's predictivecapabilities are tested, and, in a final step of the present embodiment,the user with the best predictive capabilities is recognized and, ifappropriate, rewarded.

In a second embodiment of the invention, a system for onlineentertainment is provided that comprises a user terminal with a userinterface that is interactive with a browser. A server is then enabledto communicate online with the user terminal by means of the browser andof the user interface. The server can then provide the user terminalwith a user identification system that allows a user to gain access toan online community, and also with an interactive selection of actualentertainment events that is displayed to the user on the user terminal.

Such a selection of actual entertainment events may include a string ofoccurrences, for instance, a football season composed of a certainnumber of games, or one or more occurrences within a string ofoccurrences, for instance, a group of games within the football season,or an isolated occurrence, for instance, an individual football game.The string of occurrences, for instance, the above mentioned footballseason or game, may have not begun yet or be already in progress.

Further, the server is structured to offer the opportunity to the userof selecting one or more of the actual entertainment events, forinstance, a football season or a football game, and of makingpredictions on one or more features of the entertainment events, forinstance, the number of passes completed by a quaterback in a footballgame, or the number of touchdown receptions by a wide receiver. Inmaking such predictions, the user's predictive capabilities are tested,and, after the server has received, processed, elaborated, and tabulateddata inputted from different users, the user with the best predictivecapabilities is identified, so that he may be recognized and, ifappropriate, rewarded.

In a third embodiment of the invention, a computer program product isprovided that comprises a computer usable medium containing computerreadable program code for providing online entertainment according tothe above described method.

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an onlineentertainment system that enables a user to test his predictiveabilities about actual sport, pop culture, political, or other popularevents rather than about fantasy events.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an onlineentertainment system that enables a user to test his predictiveabilities about actual sport, pop culture, political, or other popularevents without engaging in a betting scheme.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments of the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a method for onlineentertainment according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a system for providing onlineentertainment according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation of the option offered to the userof creating certain user names that is provided in the embodiment ofFIG. 1

FIGS. 4A-4B are pictorial representations of the build-up of a userprofile in the embodiment of FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is pictorial representation of the display of terms of service inthe embodiment of FIG. 1

FIG. 6 is pictorial representation of the offered selection betweenplaying in the online community at large and within selected groups thatis provided in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a pictorial representation of a mode of entertainment providedin the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a pictorial representation of a message board display providedin the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a pictorial representation of a collection of informationprovided in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a system for onlineentertainment according to a second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Detailed descriptions of embodiments of the invention are providedherein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention maybe embodied in various forms. Therefore, the specific details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to employthe present invention in virtually any detailed system, structure, ormanner.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a first embodiment 10 of theinvention, which will be described herein in relation to anentertainment method based on a sport event, such as the NFL football,NBA basketball, MLB baseball, or NHL ice hockey tournaments, or golftournaments such as the PGA Tour or the Buick© Invitational. However,one skilled in the art will recognize that the present method is equallyapplicable to other types of sports and, in general, to other types ofof celebrity events, for instance, to music or movie events such as theAcademy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the GrammyAwards, or to political events such as a U.S. presidential election.

The following description is based on the exemplary embodimentimplemented in the experimental internet web sitewww.ontherecordsports.com developed by Applicant. However, one skilledin the art will recognize that the present invention is equallyapplicable to a variety of other web sites. Therefore, the descriptionherein is to be considering only exemplary and non-limiting.

In a first step 12 of method 10, a user accesses a dedicated web site byproviding a user name and a password. Prior to signing up, the user isgreeted with a web site display that graphically summarizes the natureof the online entertainment and that entices the user to sign up. Such adisplay may contain a combination of written sentences and graphicalsymbols that collectively deliver a snapshot overview of theentertainment offered by the web site and that entice the user to testhis predictive skills. In particular, such a display may contain acaptioned list of features that are expected to stimulate the user tosigning up, for instance, “It's competitive,” “It's fun,” “It's free,”“It's easy,” “It's rewarding,” “It's personalized,” and so on. Anexample of such a web display is identified by reference numeral 22 inFIG. 2.

Upon sign-up, the user is identified though the combination of a username and a password, and, further, the user name is employed to identifythat user before other users in each contest in the web site, in whichthe user elects to participate, while his real identity remainsconcealed in respect of the user's privacy. Alternatively, the user mayelect identify himself through a user name that is his real name ratherthan a fictitious name. The user may also adopt a different user namefor all contests within the web site or for a certain contest. To enablethe user to adopt such alternative user name, he is provided with theopportunity to create a “handle,” that is, a different identificationthat will still enable him to still conceal his real identity, but alsoto assume a different user name from the one previously selected. When a“handle” is created, the user is provided with an example of theacceptable alphanumeric lettering for the “handle.” Thus, the user maycreate a plurality of “handles” for different contests in which he willparticipate. An example of a web display that enables the user to createa “handle” is identified by reference numeral 24 in FIG. 3.

By signing up with the web site, the user joins the online community ofall of the users for the same web site. Accordingly, at the time of signup, the user is required to provide contact information, in order tomeet different web site requirements that relate to security, marketing,and overall management of the web site. First, the user is identifiedfor security purposes, enabling the web master to associate the username with the real identity of the user, and possibly to ban the user inthe event of a behavior contrary to the web site's terms of service, toacceptable ethical standards, or to the law, or in case of harassing orotherwise inappropriate conduct. Second, the user is identified tocreate a database that can be later harvested for commercial purposes,for example, for targeted advertising. Third, the web master is providedwith access to the contact information of the user that enables the webmaster to deliver to the user any awards that the user may win whileplaying on the web site. An example of such a profile build-up isidentified by reference numerals 26 and 28 in FIGS. 4A-4B.

After completing the initial sign up, the user is welcomed to the website and reminded of the web site's terms of service, which the user isrequired to accept prior to proceeding further. In particular, the termsof use specifically state the online nature of the entertainment, theweb site's procedures related to web site features such as prize awards,the requirement for an affidavit of eligibility in case of a prizewinning, and minimum age requirements. Further, the terms of serviceprovide the user with standards of conduct to comply with applicablelaws and regulations, and with minimum requirements of ethics andcivility, thereby giving the web master with the necessary foundation toban an undesirable user. An example of the display of such terms ofservice is identified by reference numeral 30 in FIG. 5.

A second step 14 is then implemented, in which the user is offered aselection of sport events from which to choose. During the user'sresidence in the web site, a footer provides the user with links to theterms of use, to the site's privacy policy, to contact information andto a site map. Optionally, upon signup and/or throughout residence inthe web site, the user is reminded through appropriate notices that thesite's intellectual property is protected by certain copyright,trademark, and patent applications and/or grants.

The user is also offered the opportunity to play publicly, as a singlemember within the online community at large, or as a member within arestricted group of other users. When playing publicly, the performanceof the user is measured against the performance of all other members ofthe online community and can be seen and monitored by all other membersof the community. Conversely, when playing in one or more restrictedgroups, the performance of the user is measured only against theperformance of other members of each restricted group and can be seenonly by the other members of that group. An example of the offeredselection between playing in the online community at large and withinrestricted groups is identified by tabs 32 and 34 in FIG. 6.

Accordingly, to promptly direct the user to the different areas of theweb site and to the different games for which he has signed up, aftersign-in is completed, the user is asked whether he wants to be directedto the games that are open to the entire online community (defined as“My Games”), or to the user groups he has joined (defined as “MyGroups”). The user's selection of games may also be stored for laterretrieval. Upon the appropriate selection, if the user has selected “MyGames,” he is directed to a summary of all the open games that he haspreviously joined, or which he has previously targeted as of interest.Conversely, if he has selected “My Groups,” he is directed to the groupsof users he had previously elected to join. At the same time, the useris also free to join new games or online groups.

It should be pointed out that the method for online entertainmentdescribed herein is directed only at actual entertainment events, forinstance, actual sport events performed by actual players in actualteams in actual tournaments. In this respect, the present method isdifferent from “fantasy” sport events, in which a user creates, forinstance, a fictitious team formed by actual athletes and then measureshis predictive capabilities by drawing analogies with the actualperformances of those athletes in actual sport matches.

In the next step 16, the user is required to select his mode ofentertainment, that is, what type of sport event to make predictionsabout (for instance, football) and within which environment to play, apublic environment or a restricted environment, in which the user playsin a private or semi-private mode. An example of the mode ofentertainment provided is identified by reference numeral 36 in FIG. 7.

In the next step 18, the user is enabled to make predictions on one ormore features of a sport tournament (or season), or on one or morefeatures of a number of matches (or games) within a tournament (orseason), or on one or more features of an individual match (or game).For example, a user may predict one or more features of the Davis Cuptennis tournament in a given year, or one or more features of theAustralia-USA meet (if applicable), or one or more features only of thedoubles match within the Australia-USA meet. In the mentioned example,an exemplary feature may be, among others, the number of aces made by aplayer in a specific match or within a meet, or the number of games wonby the Australian team during the doubles match.

Finally, in step 20, the user that has shown the best predictivecapabilities for an entertainment event is recognized, and he mayreceive a reward, if within the game rules. That reward may bepredetermined or may change depending on the number of players as moreand more users join the game over time. Further, the reward may be basedon the best predictive capabilities of a user in relation to a singleevent, that is, a single sport contest, or to a string of games, or toan entire tournament.

Preferably, a software program connected to the web site provides anautomatic conversion into points of the accuracy of a user'spredictions. Typically, this software program contains code directed atcrediting a user with points for each contest in an amount correspondingto the accuracy of the user's predictions, and creating deadlines forentering predictions for individual events. Further, the softwareprogram may automatically advise a user, for instance, by e-mail or by amessage posted on a message board, that he is the winner of a certaincontest, or advise users in general about their individual andcumulative performance for the games they have participated in.

The above described entertainment may be free of charge or charge-based.If free of charge, the reward received by the winner is based on avariety of factors, such as the number of contestants and on the incomemade available by the advertising sponsors. As will be apparent to oneskilled in the art, proper language may be added to the web site todisclaim obligations to reward minimum prizes under any conditions,because the web master may want to retain flexibility to reward certainprizes only if adequate income levels have been generated. Further, theweb master may want to retain the discretion to increase award levelsfor promotional purposes regardless of sponsor income, for instance, toattract a larger number of users by offering specific award levels, orto maximize the web site's income by reducing award size in relation tothe advertising income.

Alternatively, the above described entertainment may be fee based, andthe winners' rewards will then be based not only on the previouslydiscussed factors, but also on income generated through user-paid fees.It should be pointed out, however, that the entertainment according tothe present embodiment is not structured as a betting scheme, but it isdesigned instead to operate as a pure entertainment system, adapted forall ages and free of the restrictions imposed on betting games by theapplicable laws and regulations, and also free of the compulsiveaddictions that may be created in users of betting schemes.

The operation of the present entertainment method will be now beexemplified with a potential contest based on the 2006 soccer World Cup,where Brazil is a competing team, where Brazil's first match isscheduled to be against the team of Croatia, and where Ronaldo is astriker for Brazil. In this exemplary embodiment, a user may answer anumber of questions that relate to the World Cup overall, or to a seriesof matches within the World Cup, or to a specific match, such as thefollowing questions:

Will Brazil win the first match against Croatia?

Will Brazil or Croatia strike first?

By how many goals will Brazil win or lose their first match withCroatia?

How may goals will Ronaldo score in Brazil's first match againstCroatia?

Each question would be associated with a number of points, which wouldbe awarded to the user if he provided correct answers. The points ofeach user would be tabulated, and, at the end of the game, an order offinish for the various users would be provided.

In a different exemplary embodiment, a group of users may associate toform a defined user group within the overall online community. Usingagain the soccer World Cup as a reference, a user group may comprise,for example, users that are particularly interested in the team ofItaly. Such a user group may be created by a specific user that wouldact as a moderator, or instead another user or even another party may beselected to act as a moderator of the group. In this scenario, the usersparticipating in that user group may identify themselves with the usernames they created upon sign-up, or with a different user names, thatis, with different “handles.” Further, a user may test his predictivecapabilities against all members of the group, or within a limitednumber of members of the group.

In this situation, the user would select the “My Groups” feature and bedirected to all the user groups he has joined. Successively, he wouldselect the specific group related to the Italian soccer team (orsubgroup within that group) and, if desired, enter his predictions oncertain features related to the performance of the Italian team. Forinstance, the user may answer questions such as:

Will Francesco Totti (an Italian midfielder) play in the opening matchof their group against Ghana?

By how many goals will Italy defeat or be defeated by Ghana?

Will Filippo Inzaghi (an Italian striker) play and score in the matchagainst the United States (a member of the same group as Italy)?

The web site described hereinbefore may include other predictive andnon-predictive entertainment options.

One predictive option is the opportunity for a user to make predictionswithin predetermined ranges, and to be rewarded with a number of pointsaccording to the position of the prediction within each range. If theuser's prediction is exactly accurate, he will be awarded the maximumpossible number of points for that prediction. The less accurate theuser's prediction within that range, he will be awarded a number ofpoints that is correspondingly lower.

One non-predictive option is a message board system, which may bedenominated with colorful names such as the “Smack Board.” In order toparticipate in that message board system, a user is first required toidentify himself, either with one of the user names that he haspreviously created, or with a new user name that he would then have tocreate. Further, a plurality of message boards may be offered, so thatthe user may participate on discussions on different topics in differentmessage boards, using the same user name in each board. An example ofmessage board display is identified by reference numeral 38 in FIG. 8.

Another non-predictive option is a stream of statistical informationthat is related to events, such as sport events, in which members of theonline community may have a specific interest. Such statisticalinformation can be displayed on the computer screen by having the userclick on one or more appropriate links on a side panel. That statisticalinformation may be provided as received from outside sources, forinstance, from outside dedicated providers or feed streams, or may bebased on statistics provided by outside sources and reworked by the webmaster or by the moderators of certain user groups, or may even bedeveloped entirely by the web master or by one or more moderators.

Still another non-predictive option is a collection of information thatmay be of general interest to the members of the online community, forexample, sport news, sport standings, play schedules, polls, teamcompositions, and other sport and entertainment news that is general innature or related to specific sports or other celebrity entertainment.An example of the display of such collection of information isidentified by reference numeral 40 in FIG. 9.

The present invention also concerns a system 42 for providing onlineentertainment, which is schematically summarized in FIG. 10.

A user terminal 44 is provided that has a user interface 46, which isinteractive with a browser 48 and which enables a user, keyingappropriate information into user terminal 44, to communicate online. Aserver 52 is also provided, which communicates online through theinternet and to which user terminal 44 can be connected online throughuser interface 46, browser 48, and internet 50. One skilled in the artwill recognize that user terminal 44 includes any suitable terminal toreceive and display information signals, including, for example,computer terminals, cell phones, and personal digital assistants.Likewise, one skilled in the art will recognize that onlinecommunication may be achieved with a variety of technologies, including,for example, hard wiring, fiber optic transmission, and wirelesscommunication.

Server 52 is structured to elaborate data and to communicate such databack to user terminal 44, causing appropriate signals to be graphicallydisplayed on terminal 44. In particular, server 52 is programmed toprovide online entertainment according to the above-described method,interacting with one or more users through terminal 44 and receiving,processing, elaborating, and tabulating data inputted from the one ormore users. Therefore, server 52 provides the necessary hardware for themethod in the first embodiment to be implemented.

Embodiments other than those specifically described herein will beapparent to one skilled in the art and are within the scope of theinvention. In particular, the invention also concerns a computer programfor executing the above described method that is readable by a computer,and a machine-readable memory tangibly containing a program ofinstructions executable by the above described server.

While the invention has been described in connection with the abovedescribed embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention to the particular forms set forth, but on the contrary, it isintended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents asmay be included within the scope of the invention. Further, the scope ofthe present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that maybecome obvious to those skilled in the art and the scope of the presentinvention is limited only by the appended claims.

1. A method for online prediction-based entertainment comprising thesteps of: (a) providing a user identification system that enables accessto an online community of contestants; (b) offering an interactiveselection of actual entertainment events to a user, the actualentertainment events being scheduled to be performed, wherein theselection of actual entertainment events is a string of occurrences, oneor more occurrences within a string of occurrences, or an isolatedoccurrence, and wherein the string of occurrences has yet to begin or isin progress; (c) requiring the user to select one or more of the actualentertainment events; (d) enabling the user to make predictions on oneor more features of the one or more of the actual entertainment eventsselected by the user, thereby testing the user's predictivecapabilities; and (e) recognizing the user with the best predictivecapabilities for the one or more of the actual entertainment events. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the user identification system isstructured to provide the user with the option of adopting a user namedifferent from his legal name.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein theactual entertainment events are sport events, wherein the string ofoccurrences is a sport tournament, and wherein the occurrence is a sportmatch or a portion of a sport match.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe predictive capabilities of the user are exposed to the entire onlinecommunity or only to a portion of the online community.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising the step of rewarding the user with a prizedetermined by a plurality of factors comprising the number ofcontestants and the amount of sponsoring revenues.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein a software program converts the predictions into pointsthat are tabulated.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the points areawarded according to the accuracies of the predictions withinpredetermined prediction ranges.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredictive capabilities of the user are measured against members of apre-identified portion of the online community.
 9. The method of claim1, further comprising the step of providing the user with customizedstatistical data about one or more of the user's predictive capabilitiesand of the actual entertainment events.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the customized statistical data are provided to the user bytabulating raw statistical data supplied by an outside source.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a moderatorto the online community or to a portion of the online community.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the moderator is one user defining one ormore of the actual entertainment events with a group of other members ofthe online community.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the group ofother members predicts the performances of actual participants in actualentertainment events, and wherein the moderator insures that thepredictions are provided in advance of the actual entertainment events.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user's participation in theonline entertainment is free of charge.
 15. The method of claim 1,wherein the user's participation to the online entertainment is subjectto a monetary charge.
 16. A system for providing online prediction-basedentertainment, the system comprising: a user terminal having a userinterface that is interactive with a browser to communicate online; anda server communicating online with the user terminal, wherein theserver, provides the user terminal with a user identification systemthat enables access to an online community, offers an interactiveselection of actual entertainment events to a user by displaying theinteractive selection on the user terminal, the actual entertainmentevents being scheduled to be performed, wherein the selection of actualentertainment events is a string of occurrences, one or more occurrenceswithin a string of occurrences, or an isolated occurrence, and whereinthe string of occurrences has yet to begin or is in progress, requiresthe user to select one or more of the actual entertainment events,enables the user to make predictions on one or more features of the oneor more of the actual entertainment events selected by the user, therebytesting the user's predictive capabilities, and recognizes the user withthe best predictive capabilities for the one or more of the actualentertainment events.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the useridentification system is structured to provide the user with the optionof adopting a user name different from his real name.
 18. The system ofclaim 1 6, wherein the actual entertainment events are sport events,wherein the string of occurrences is a sport tournament, and wherein theoccurrence is a sport match or a portion of a sport match.
 19. Thesystem of claim 1 6, wherein the predictive capabilities of the user areexposed to the entire online community or only to a portion of theonline community.
 20. The system of claim 1 9, wherein the servercalculates and displays rewards for the user with the best predictivecapabilities according to plurality of factors comprising the number ofcontestants and the amount of advertising sponsors.
 21. The system ofclaim 20, wherein a software program converts the predictions intopoints that are tabulated.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein thepoints are awarded according to the accuracies of the predictions withinpredetermined prediction ranges.
 23. The system of claim 1 8, whereinthe predictive capabilities of the user are measured against members ofa pre-identified portion of the online community.
 24. The system ofclaim 1 6, wherein the server further provides the user with customizedstatistical data about one or more of the user's predictive capabilitiesand of the actual entertainment events.
 25. The system of claim 24,wherein the customized statistical data are provided to the user bytabulating raw statistical data supplied by an outside source.
 26. Thesystem of claim 1 6, wherein the server further provides access to amoderator to the online community or to a portion of the onlinecommunity.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the moderator is one userdefining one or more of the actual entertainment events with a group ofother members of the online community.
 28. The system of claim 27,wherein the group of other users predicts the performances of actualparticipants in actual entertainment events, and wherein the moderatorinsures that the predictions are provided in advance of the actualentertainment events.
 29. The system of claim 28, wherein the user'sparticipation in the online entertainment is free of charge.
 30. Thesystem of claim 1 6, wherein the user's participation to the onlineentertainment is subject to a monetary charge.
 31. A computer programproduct comprising a computer usable medium having computer readableprogram code embodied therein for online prediction-based entertainment,the computer program product comprising: computer readable program codefor causing the computer to provide a user identification system thatenables access to an online community of contestants; computer readableprogram code for causing the computer to offer an interactive selectionof actual entertainment events to a user, wherein the actualentertainment events are scheduled to be performed, wherein theselection of actual entertainment events is a string of occurrences, oneor more occurrences within a string of occurrences, or an isolatedoccurrence, and wherein the string of occurrences has yet to begin or isin progress; computer readable program code for causing the computer torequire the user to select one or more of the actual entertainmentevents; computer readable program code for causing the computer toenable the user to make predictions on one or more features of the oneor more of the actual entertainment events selected by the user, therebytesting the user's predictive capabilities; and computer readableprogram code for causing the computer to recognize the user with thebest predictive capabilities for the one or more of the actualentertainment events.